Of the 20 teams that started the RS Internacional U-20 Cup, only eight remain in contention. Flamengo, second in Group B, opens the knockout stage of the competition this Tuesday (13.12/16) at 2 pm against Ponte Preta, leader of Group A, at SESC Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on SporTV XNUMX. The winner will face Palmeiras or Botafogo, who face each other only on Wednesday in one of the tournament's semifinals.

After starting the competition, which is seen as preparation for the Copa São Paulo, in January, losing to Criciúma (1x2) and drawing with Cruzeiro (2x2), the Garotos do Ninho significantly increased their performance in the two final matches of the group stage, scoring nine goals in victories against Mexican Toluca (5x3) and Santos (4x1), and guaranteeing qualification for the quarterfinals of the Copa RS Internacional with the second best attack in the competition, with 12 goals scored in just 4 games.

"We continue to view the competition as preparation for the Copinha, which is why it is so important for our team. Despite this, we represent Flamengo, the biggest club in the world, and we are always committed to winning. We achieved our initial goal, which was to advance to the next stage, something we hadn't achieved in three years. Now, we want more. I have great confidence in our team and our players. They are extremely disciplined athletes who always respond to our demands, and this makes me very calm and confident that our progress in this championship will continue and that we will have an excellent match against Ponte Preta," said coach Gilmar Popoca. 

If they beat Ponte Preta, this will be Flamengo's best campaign in the history of the competition, surpassing the campaign in the first edition that Rubro-Negro participated in, in 2013, when they reached the quarterfinal stage.